Topic: Affordable AKG Sound

[OFOTD]

HERE YOU GO DAVID!
A PAIR OF AKG's 460's with ck3 CAPS FOR
DRUM ROLL................
$600, which is the stated budget!!!!!
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=136372.0

Seems to me you're the one upset here.   Wouldn't the 460 > ck6x be more to the 480 sound that the ck3?   

Again why over-sell when quite clearly there appear to be better options more in line to what the OP was looking for and what the OP was comparably looking at?    If he was looking at the Peluso and Busman stereo kits then those come with you guessed it shocks, mounts and screens within his budget.  For the $600 you are suggesting add another $50-$100 on to that for the accessories not even including a case to carry it all in like the two aforementioned stereo kits have.

[darby]

A PAIR OF AKG's 460's with ck3 CAPS FOR
DRUM ROLL................
$600, which is the stated budget!!!!!
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=136372.0

those are no longer for sale

^^ I guess it all depends what "AKG sound" means.  Do 414s and 480s sound that much alike, for that matter?

having owned all of them I can honestly say...
no they don't totally but neither do 460s and 480s for that matter
they all have SIMILAR sound

[Will_S]

Just to throw a little gas on the fire (actually this is a serious suggestion, but may not be well received by all), Ryan did say he was looking to match the 481/483 sound and not the label, so I wouldn't rule out other brands IF they sound like 481/483s.

Some folks describe the Audix Micros (M1280 or M1290) as sounding a lot like the 480s.  I'd suggest searching the archives on this site to read about folks making the comparison, and more to the point listen to recordings made with the 480s, 390s, and Audixes.  the Audix are small enough to just about pass for "actives" as is, and there's the Church mod for plug in power if you want tiny.  With patience, a used pair with cards and hypers and mounts and cables should be well within the $600 budget.  Now whether an Audix M1280 or an AKG 390 sounds more like an AKG 480, I leave that to Ryan's ears. 

[illconditioned]

I can understand skipping the 390's but again to suggest something that is clearly NOT an affordable AKG sound?    Really?  Why even comment if you don't have a different or suitable 'affordable AKG sound' suggestion?   

Seriously why is it that when people are looking for specific things do people try and recommend something that does not either fit the description of what they are looking for or try and oversell?   

There is nothing wrong with making alternate suggestions.  I'm trying to save the OP from my mistakes, spending more than 50% of the cost of the 460 sound to get something that is not very good.

Richard you've clearly modified your 9x caps in a way that takes out 50% of that AKG sound.  I can understand not liking them if i've bastardized them by completely cutting out an essential component (bodies).   

The body does not add/remove anything from the sound.  It merely provides a voltage drop to drive the (electret) element of the CK9x capsule, and a balanced line driver.  There are no transformers or other goodies in the SE300 body.  I've done a lot of mic hacking and I'll stand by this assessment.

... making a suggestion within the confines of what the OP stated and making that suggestion based that was suited best for what the OP wants instead of what 'I' would do?

I disagree.  If someone can make helpful comments, it is a good thing.  Let the OP decide if he likes/dislikes my comments.


  Richard

[darby]

The body does not add/remove anything from the sound.  It merely provides a voltage drop to drive the (electret) element of the CK9x capsule, and a balanced line driver.  There are no transformers or other goodies in the SE300 body.  I've done a lot of mic hacking and I'll stand by this assessment.
  Richard

that's why the 460s sound different than the 480s with the same capsules
the 480s don't have transformers while the 460s do

[illconditioned]

The body does not add/remove anything from the sound.  It merely provides a voltage drop to drive the (electret) element of the CK9x capsule, and a balanced line driver.  There are no transformers or other goodies in the SE300 body.  I've done a lot of mic hacking and I'll stand by this assessment.
  Richard

that's why the 460s sound different than the 480s with the same capsules
the 480s don't have transformers while the 460s do

This seems to be the case.  I prefer the 460 sound .


  Richard

[Javier Cinakowski]

Just a note on a couple things above:  The Studio Projects C4s do sound much more like the AKG480 than most of the other budget mics.  I think that was a good suggestion.  Even the C4 hyper is supprisingly good and compairs well.   Someone mentioned the Audix above and I agree they sound a lot like the 480's too.  I ran a pair of C4hypers next to M.T.'s Audix hypers at Phish Starlake, they sounded very similar...

The peluso's kinda sound like shoepes, the busmans I havn't owned...

Also, I don't agree with the suggestion that the guy should buy a lesser set of mics with all of the accessories, than a bare bones 460/480 setup.  The bare bones option he can grow into and will be very happy with his very first pulls.  If he goes the budget route he will be selling it all for a loss in no time....

Buy what you really want now, I promise you will save money in the long run.  (esspecially in this ecconomy, it isn't as easy to move gear in the yard sale anymore...)

[datbrad]

That's all I'm saying.
Read the original post. He wants something that sounds like 480's.
The 460's are the closest thing at that price range.
391/393's dont sound like 480's. If they did we would be recommending them.

I have stayed out of the discussion, but as an AKG user for over 15 years, wanted to chime in that I agree completely with this.

[willndmb]

i recommend the 39x too
you can find a pair for well under the 600 vs a pair of 460 which will run you at least 600
and i personally think they sound more like a 480 then the 460 does

the bm mics get play as "budget mics" because you get all the caps and they sound pretty damn good

[Dkrogh]

Putting more gas on the fire...

I bought 460s with ck61's on here for 450 at the start of the summer, put on a $40 vert bar, $20 screens, $15 clamp, $40 mounts and $45 cables and you have yourself a rig sans recorder. You could pickup a 670 for around 350-400 now days and be into a nice setup for under a grand.

[willndmb]

Putting more gas on the fire...

I bought 460s with ck61's on here for 450 at the start of the summer, put on a $40 vert bar, $20 screens, $15 clamp, $40 mounts and $45 cables and you have yourself a rig sans recorder. You could pickup a 670 for around 350-400 now days and be into a nice setup for under a grand.

ok if you can get that deal i would skip the 390